NFRA Awards Wholesaler Back To Back Golden Penguin Awards

Associated Grocers is pleased to announce that it has earned another Golden Penguin award from the National Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA). The company generally participates in the NFRA's March National Frozen Food Month and June Dairy Month promotions each year. While Associated Grocers has received a Golden Penguin three times and numerous Silver Penguin Awards, this marks the first time it has earned back-to-back golden success!!

The Golden Penguin Award symbolizes excellence in successful merchandising and promotion in the frozen and refrigerated foods industry. The company has been notified that it will receive both awards in recognition of "one of the best promotions” nationwide at the NFRA's convention, which will be held in Washington, D.C. on October 20th of this year.

"This project has proven to be an absolute value to our retailers and their customers (supermarket shoppers),” notes Mike Richardson, Director of Center Store Category Management at Associated Grocers. "This national recognition further validates our work in partnering the vendor community with creative, progressive, and most importantly, successful wholesale and retail organizations.”

AG Dairy Category Specialist Richard Iverstine noted, "Our retailers really took hold of this campaign and used it to impact their customers – grabbing attention and sales during a tight economy. That was reward enough…but earning a Golden Penguin from this national organization gives the campaign even more credibility!”

NFRA Penguin award-winning entries demonstrated the effective use of promotional elements such as in-store programs, advertising, consumer education, creative use of merchandising materials and special displays. Associated Grocers' comprehensive campaign included print, Point-of-Sale materials, and a Dairy Month radio campaign which aired on New Orleans, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge-based stations. The promotion was also supported with a Disney "Celebration Sweepstakes” trip give-away, sponsored by Kellogg's. "Our partnership with cereal manufacturers allowed us another opportunity to cross merchandise within the Dairy Month theme,” noted AG Director of Retail Marketing Roland Gary. "And of course, more cereal sales mean more milk sales!”

Associated Grocers has received numerous other Silver Penguin Awards from the NFRA for its previous Frozen Food Month (March) and Dairy Month (June) promotions and is pleased to now have three Golden Penguins. This is the second golden penguin earned for a Dairy Month promotion!